


kindred spirit

by Rawritsamehh



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Introspection, M/M, People Watching, mushy feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26091019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rawritsamehh/pseuds/Rawritsamehh
Summary: Dan watches a familiar scene unfold.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 56
Kudos: 135





	kindred spirit

**Author's Note:**

> just a little rambling about a scene I couldn’t get out of my head.

Dan is people-watching, as one does in these situations.

He’s sat outside of one of their favorite bakeries. It’s small, locally owned, makes a delicious vegan cheesecake and is right next to a park– really, it’s as if it was made for Dan.

Phil, who lost the Rock Paper Scissors battle, is inside placing their order. It was his idea to come today. He needs to get some work done and is feeling too antsy to stay home, so here they are. It’s not like Dan can turn down a bakery trip, anyway.

Dan watches as a woman walks through the park with her adorable puppy, some form of mixed breed that he can’t identify. He smiles when he sees a group of children playing tag and laughing without a care in the world. He tears up a little when he notices an elderly couple holding hands as they stroll leisurely down the path.

Then, his eyes are drawn to a person sat alone on a bench. A boy, likely in his late teens, who is sitting there with hunched shoulders and nervous hands. The boy looks up every so often, his head turning and eyes darting as if he’s looking for someone.

Dan furrows his brows a bit. The boy looks almost frightened, maybe a bit flighty. Like any sudden movement would make him bolt.

He continues watching as the boy fidgets with his hair. At one point, he sees the boy pull out his phone and sigh- maybe he’s waiting for a text? Maybe whoever he’s meeting is running late? Dan is a bit perplexed but definitely invested in whatever is happening here.

At some point Dan begins to feel the pangs of familiarity. He feels it in the way the boy is trying to make himself appear small, in the nervousness radiating from him, in the way he’s playing with the holes in his jeans.

Then, suddenly, the boy looks up and his face breaks into a smile. His body language is still screaming ‘ _I’m anxious and scared please don’t spook me_ ’ but he stands from the bench and takes a few tentative steps towards….another boy.

Oh. _Oh_.

Dan looks on, his heart fluttering a bit, as the boys smile at each other and embrace. The boy from the bench nuzzles into the others neck, while the other clutches onto the bench boy's shirt.

Tears start to well up again and he can’t stop them this time. He knows this scene all too well. He sees himself in that boy, in his anxiousness and fear. In how his entire face lit up once he saw the other boy. He bites down on his lip in an attempt to quell his emotions while he continues to watch.

The boys separate and smile as they excitedly begin chatting. The other boy– who is a touch taller than the boy from the bench– keeps reaching out nervously to grab the smaller boy's arm, to tap excitedly on his shoulder, to poke his nose and make him sputter and blush and laugh. The boy from the bench giggles and hides his face in his hands, but his body language is almost magnetized towards the other boy. Dan can nearly feel the electricity from his table.

Dan smiles fondly and his heart aches a bit. It’s a weird mix of emotions he’s feeling, and he fights the urge to go and hug them both. To tell them that it’s okay. That they’re valid. That they aren’t alone. That it gets better.

Because, it does. It does get so, _so_ much better.

He watches as the boys walk away together, their arms and shoulders brushing. He tries to discreetly wipe a tear from his cheek. He probably fails, but he really doesn’t care all that much anymore.

Dan startles when he hears the clank of a plate on the table. He turns to see Phil, who is placing their plates and drinks, and smiles at him. It’s a big, dimpled, silly smile– one that’s usually reserved for big emotions like this. Phil tilts his head and gives Dan a quizzical look, but Dan just grins, grabs Phil’s hand and brings it towards his lips for a kiss. Phil smiles back at him before leaning down to kiss the top of Dan’s head, but doesn’t say a word. They’re still working on what levels of affection they’re comfortable with in public, but Dan’s feeling brave and proud and wants to show some love towards his boyfriend, dammit. He’s allowed now.

Dan’s gaze lingers as Phil pulls out his laptop and begins working. He rubs his foot against Phil’s shin beneath the table before he goes to taste whatever overly sugary concoction his drink is. His heart swells with love for _his_ boy while his mind is lost in memories of train rides, nervous hugs, stolen kisses and shaky hands. Fondness washes over him as he remembers how the nighttime Manchester sky looked from a tiny apartment balcony. Warmth spreads to his toes when images flash by of them with tangled up limbs underneath Phil’s duvet, with Dan’s face resting in the crook of Phil’s neck.

That’s still his favorite spot, and that’s the spot he returns to as soon as they get back home. Dan declares that they deserve an afternoon nap and Phil, clearly in-tune with all of the big emotions Dan is feeling, agrees. He blissfully falls asleep as his mind is filled with the memories of two young, scared, lonely boys finding each other and finding love. 


End file.
